ACPN Endorses Muhammadu Buhari

Following the withdrawal of presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Dr. Oby Ezekwesili from the 2019 elections, the party has declared it’s support for President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ezekwesili had announced her decision to step down on Thursday, saying she would support a coalition that would wrest power from APC or PDP.

Gani Galadima, national chairman of the party while speaking with journalists, said Ezekwesili only wanted to use the ACPN platform to negotiate to be finance minister.

The Cable reports that Galadima said the former minister did not show seriousness in her campaign.

“The reason for calling this press conference is to let the world know about the presidential aspiration of Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, which in actual fact, is not the truth. I have been put into confidence by one of her aide named Iyinoluwa Aboyeji that she only wanted to use the platform of the ACPN to negotiate to be Nigeria’s finance minister,” he said.

“This she does not deem fit to inform the party whose mandate she is holding. If you observe, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili is the only presidential candidate who was so militant in her campaign without any tangible thing on ground to indicate any seriousness in the prosecution of her campaign.

“No campaign secretariat, billboard or great commitment on ground to indicate any seriousness. It is on this ground that the ACPN is withdrawing support for her presidential aspiration and endorsing the second term bid of President Muhammadu Buhari to take Nigeria to the next level.”

Galadima said she did not inform the party of her decision to withdraw from the race.

He asked her to return to the party all the donations “from all over the world” because the party would have to account to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“We may take her to court. She was just using us to play,” he said.

According to the chairman, the party’s fee for expression of interest and nomination form is N10.5 million but she only offered N100,000.